Permanent Marker
by CarrotCake23
Summary: Helga is not a fan of the subject of Arnold's photography project.


Hi everyone! So I haven't published anything in a looooong time. I guess I got busy; life and all that. But after TJM, I decided to get back to it. So here's a little something that I wrote years ago. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Taylor Swift and ran across a song that really reminded me of Hey Arnold. I've included part of the lyrics of the song that inspired me. I hope y'all like it!

* * *

 _I found that picture_

 _Of you in that green dress_

 _He sure had a good time_

 _Cleaning up that mess_

 _He found thirty of the pieces but he'll never find them all_

 _Tried to tape it back together, now he knows to keep it off the wall_

 _X is the shape_

 _I drew through your face_

 _In permanent marker_

 _Oh yeah_

 _Just like the mark_

 _You knew you were making_

 _Who do you think you are_

 _To write on his heart_

 _In permanent marker_

* * *

"Hey, Arnold?" I say, sitting up on the bed and staring at his corkboard scattered with photos. "What's this picture from?" I point to a picture of Lila with her tongue stuck out at the camera. I try to keep the scowl from my face.

Arnold peers at the board. "Oh, that was at the park last year when we had that photography project, remember?" he asks, looking back at me with a content little smile on his face. "I took it. I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?"

I force a smile. "Yeah, it's nice," I reply, glancing back down at my history book…anywhere but at the offending picture.

I'm not jealous anymore. I promise. I _have_ Arnold. She never gave him a chance. And for that, I'm EXTREMELY thankful. If she had, she definitely wouldn't have let him go.

And, okay, there are more pictures on the corkboard than just _that_ one. Of all of our friends. There's one of Gerald pushing Phoebe on the swings in the park, one of Sheena and Eugene in some strange dance pose, another of Brainy looking straight at the camera and a hand raised in an awkward wave, Harold holding Sid and Stinky in a headlock, Nadine observing a line of ants while Rhonda looks on exasperatedly, Curly perched high in a tree with a crazed look on his face, Iggy and Peapod Kid reclining in chairs by the city pool. Pretty much every kid we've had class with for as long as I can remember. And, of course, there are tons of him and me. A few of just me. Some of him and his parents. One of all four of us. And a big one with all of the residents of the Sunset Arms.

So I have no right, really, to hate the photo all that much. Arnold and I have been together for years…with no end in sight, thankfully. It's just…she's there, on Arnold's wall in that signature green dress and those braided pigtails…and it's a picture of her alone. I don't know; it just bothers me.

"I'm gonna run down to the kitchen and grab a Yahoo," says Arnold, smiling at me. "Would you like one?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Hey, do you think you could microwave some popcorn, too?" I ask. I stick my bottom lip out slightly, pouting just a little. That always works on him. "Please?"

Arnold rolls his eyes with a grin. "Fine," he says. He kisses me quickly on my pouty lips, and I smile. "I'll be right back." He winks at me before he closes the door behind him.

Yes, I'm crazy. I'm almost certifiably insane. And, really, I've been much better since Arnold and I actually got together. But I do still tend to go a little nuts sometimes. And…that's exactly why I'm perched on the edge of Arnold's bed, staring at a shredded pile of picture.

At an earlier point in our relationship, I might have been worried about how Arnold would react to the fact that I tore the picture of Lila to bits. But with how long we've been together, and how Arnold knows me, I feel only slightly guilty about it.

"I'm back," I hear from the door. I snap my eyes to Arnold and smile like I've done nothing wrong. He looks from me to the pile in the floor to the corkboard near his bed. Then he raises his eyebrows at me. "What happened?"

"Um, Abner ripped up your picture?" I suggest with a shrug of my shoulders.

He smirks back at me. "Helga," he chides.

"Okay, fine, Football Head," I concede, throwing my hands in the air. "I'm crazy. It's not like that's news to you." I roll my eyes.

He stares at me for a second longer, then places the sodas and popcorn on the couch, and goes over to his desk. He pulls a couple of books from a drawer and brings them over to me, planting them in my lap.

I look at him questioningly. "Yearbooks?" I ask. "What are these for?"

"I thought you might want to get rid of any other evidence," he replies, smiling. He picks up the top book and turns to the page with our class. "Here she is, Helga." He points to Lila's picture. "Now, the question is…do you want a pen or a permanent marker?"

For a second, I'm shocked. He's taking this surprisingly well. I beam at him. "Permanent marker, please!"


End file.
